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Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

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Bacterial Infections of Humans

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Abstract

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an acute febrile illness transmitted to man by ticks infected with Rickettsia rickettsii. Usually sudden in onset, it is characterized by chills, headache, and fever lasting 2 or more weeks. A characteristic rash appears on the extremities on about the 4th febrile day and, later, on the trunk. The exanthem and other anatomical manifestations result from focal areas of vasculitis and perivascular inflammation scattered throughout the body. Central nervous system (CNS) manifestations of delirium and coma as well as shock and renal failure occur in the severely ill. Serum antibodies to specific rickettsial antigens appear during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of illness. Chloramphenicol and the tetracyclines are highly specific therapeutically

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA

    Theodore E. Woodward

  2. Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, USA

    J. Stephen Dumler

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  1. Theodore E. Woodward
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  2. J. Stephen Dumler
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Late of Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Alfred S. Evans

  2. The Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Philip S. Brachman

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Woodward, T.E., Dumler, J.S. (1998). Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. In: Evans, A.S., Brachman, P.S. (eds) Bacterial Infections of Humans. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5327-4_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5327-4_31

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